Can I touch your Antennae?
by v1b1ng
Summary: It was her question that made him remember everything he was programmed to forget. [Zagr] [Three parts]
1. Obtruding

It wasn't that spectacular of an introduction. One day she came to his table, threw down her tray, and looked back towards her gaming console. Zim sneered and felt his features twist in disgust.

"State your purpose," he demanded, adding an extra layer of malice to his next words, "filth."

She never looked up. It seemed she expected this reaction. His insults never moved her and it made Zim furious.

"Dib was bothering me." She stated simply, still tapping away at the dimly lit screen in her hand. With her words in mind Zim glared towards the rancid human boy. Dib's mouth was hanging open in shock, it seemed that he was much more bewildered by the situation than Zim.

The alien let out a vicious cackle.

"Very well, Gaz-human. I will allow you to be in my presence for the time being in order to infuriate your awful brother." It made Zim happier than anything on Earth to see Dib angry. It fueled him just as much as his promise to rule the world.

Gaz mumbled something under her breath, continuing to undermine the alien's antics.

Neither of them felt the need to talk, so they didn't. It wasn't an awkward silence by any means; they were just preoccupied.

It wasn't until the end of the day that her actions caught up with him.

Zim was rather passively making his way down the steps when a cold bit of flesh hit the back of his head. _Meat!_ He slapped the back of his skull with a hiss and applied pressure to the burn almost instantly.

A victorious Dib ran out of the doors to face Zim. A fire was in his eyes that Zim had never seen before.

"You stay away from my sister!" the boy yelled, using the time the alien spent processing the pain to bolt.

At that moment Gaz stepped beside the green boy, keeping her distance from him in a not-so polite manner.

"He's an idiot." She stated, walking towards her brother, who had already ran down the block.

* * *

That night the events were still fresh in his mind. Dib, his arch rival, so worked up over his blood relative? Unnatural. Disgusting. Zim was protective over no one. Caring for yourself was the only way to move up the ranks.

However, the presence of the purple human girl was acceptable at best. It seemed more comforting to have someone to think about other than yourself. _No matter how great you may be. _

The day that followed was less exciting. She stayed with Dib. They talked. Zim stared. She never once looked back at him. Oh, well, it was fine with him. He had more time to sceme.

The next day went more as planned. Zim figured that Gaz had an alien tolerance level, and she required human interaction to stay alive. This was why she was around Dib so much. So today, surely she would come sit with Zim, with her human love chambers refilled.

He watched her with his massive bug eyes. Dib constantly turned to look at his nemesis, only to turn back uncomfortably when he noticed Zim was staring right back. Finally, Gaz gazed at Zim for a moment before turning to her brother. She said something. He got angry. She left anyway. She walked towards Zim. She sat across from him.

"Ah, your insufferable brother grating at your head holes?"

"No."

"Oh."

This was new. Zim shuffled his feet for a little bit while she ate her peas.

"What are your weaknesses. Tell me!" Zim, master of small talk, commanded. She paused to swallow her food.

"Weaknesses? Well, I'm allergic to shellfish." Zim nodded as if this was the bane of her existence.

"Are all humans deterred by shellfish?" he inquired, leaning closer in order to absorb her knowledge. She shook her head.

"Allergies are different. They only affect certain people. You know how water burns you? That's like an allergy. Also, why are you trying to conquer a planet that's 90% water? That's stupid. You're stupid."

They talked for the rest of lunch about world domination, because you have to talk about world domination when you're around Zim.

* * *

Back in his lab, Zim pondered over the significance of Gaz in his life. Surely, she was the same as all the other human test subjects in his possession? With his disguise off, he passed by the happiness zombie to watch the machine in his head pump dopamine into his brain. It was just as human as Gaz. He felt no pity towards it. He felt no need to relieve it of its suffering. He felt no need to talk to it about his day.

However, it seems that it has gotten addicted to the dopamine producer and that needed further research. He put Gaz out of his mind for the rest of the night-

Oh wait nevermind.

He heard the security alarm go off and a screen pop out of the wall. On it was a purple-haired human sitting on the couch playing her game slave.

Furious, Zim made his way to the living room. He stamped his foot to alert her of his presence and she never looked up. That only angered him more.

"Ahem! It seems that you believe our exchange at lunch allows you to enter my house whenever you wish. Well you can't! Leave now or I'll rearrange your organ system." She still kept her gaze down.

"Dib is looking through your trash and Dad sent me to make sure he didn't get into trouble," she paused momentarily to concentrate on her game, "and it's cold outside."

Zim examined her for a while before speaking.

"Make one advancement to my lab and I will laser your eyes shut. Understand?"

"I'll cut you."

"Good."

Zim retreated back to his lab to tell GIR to chase away the Dib. In the meantime, he kept and eye on Gaz in order to ensure she stayed put.

This went on for a few weeks. They sat together at lunch every once in a while, and Gaz would barge into his house once a week while Dib rummaged through garbage. It was calming in a way, but Zim would never admit to it.

**heya this is an author's note. i hoped you like this first chapter. i'm young and only started to write as a hobby a few months ago so criticism or advice is very much appreciated. thankz**


	2. Cold

**thank you for the reviews!!! i feel like this chapter isn't as good as the first, and that's either because i'm an amateur or an idiot. only one more chapter left woohoo**It's been three weeks since she first started talking to him and already he can feel the parasitic effects.

Firstly, Zim wanted to be around her much more than necessary. When she sat with Dib, or when the bell rang for class, it always left him feeling hollow. It was an uncomfortable feeling that he credited to the awful school meals.

Secondly, Zim started to view her as an _equal. _Her, a vile beast, comparable to his Irken superiority? Absurd. But whenever she insulted him, or told him to shut up, it took less time to sting. With horror Zim realized that he cared about her opinion of him.

When describing this to the Tallest Zim mentioned that his pak might be malfunctioning, and it needed a check in case it was defective. They paused for a moment to take it all in, and howled with laughter for at least a couple hours. It was good to know that they found the idea of Zim being broken just as foolish, but that didn't explain her allure.

Zim decided that he would tell Gaz all this at lunch.

"So, barbarian, this has been very conflicting and I hate you for it. Anything you would like to add?"

Gaz almost choked on the potatoes she was eating.

When she finally stopped coughing Gaz met his eyes for the first time in a while. He felt a strange urge to sink into the floor.

"Don't be dumb." Was all she said, and Zim agreed with her.

* * *

A few days later she came intruding into his house empty-handed. This was strange, considering she always brought either her homework or game console on trash day. Zim came to meet her on the top floor.

"Human Gaz! you have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the marvels of my laboratory. Accept or perish."

She scowled and shoved Gir out of her way, who was trying to eat her ankles.

"I'll accept on my own terms." She growled, making her way to the secret entrance. This was good enough for Zim.

They stepped into one of the many elevators in the house, keeping sure to stay as far away from each other as possible just for the sake of it.

They said nothing the entire ride.

"Now, your expedition here isn't fruitless. I assumed that you would be interested in observing Dib get crushed by my new security drone," Zim paused for dramatic effect, "built by my genius, of course."

Gaz nodded.

"Excellent!" Zim walked towards a corner and clapped twice, causing a tablet-like device to burst out of the wall. Unlike the surveillance pad, it had a controller. Gaz took notice of this and watched the alien curiously.

"It has come to my attention that robots have nothing in comparison to the power of the organic brain," Zim said as he thought about Gir, "so I created this robot to obey every command I give by that joystick," Zim pointed to the controls in his usual extravagent, unnecessary way, "are you not impressed?"

* * *

Gaz took a moment to observe the controls of the strange device. It wasn't like anything she's played, but the gist was simple enough.

"Whatever," she huffed, making her way to the screen, "just turn it on."

"I intend to work it myself, Gaz."

"I'll do it better."

Zim, now a bit sulky, flipped a switch that showed Dib on screen. The camera was limited to the dumpster and his enormous head, but that was all she needed.

"Now, press that button to release the dr-" Zim was cut off, as she had already sent the robot upon him.

Her fingers tapped and pulled madly as she got the beast to wrap two of its six claws around Dib's middle. She heard his _annoying _screams as the machine held on.

"Gaz! Gaz help me!" He yelled, still thinking his sister was a few feet away keeping watch. As if.

"Yes! Yes! Now kill him!" Zim hissed as his antennae stood up in anticipation. She had always wondered what they were for.

"Nah." She responded, getting the robot to rough him up just a little bit more.

"What? But you hate him! We hate him!"

Everyone assumed she hated Dib. Even Dib asked her a couple times if she didn't like him. But the truth was, he was family, and it was an unwritten law that you had to show at least a _tiny _bit of loyalty to your blood sibling. In other words, she loved him. It was hard to admit even in her mind, but she did.

"I don't hate him, he's my brother. Just call it a strong dislike." Gaz replied as she let the robot drop him.

"Oh you _foolish _humans and your primitive emotions. This must be why you haven't progressed in so long."

Gaz could almost fear Zim in his true form. Almost. It was the lack of pupils that caused her to relate to him less. He expressed himself in other alien ways, but it was never enough for Gaz to tell what was going on in his mind. Did he feel that way about her? Did he read her as bad as she read him? Maybe things would be better if they were more verbal.

To Gaz, Zim was like a pet tarantula. It sounded strange even to her, but she had her reasons. To put it simply, no matter how much care you put into it, it would always be intent on the survival of itself and nothing else.

You say it loves you, but deep down, you know it would eat you if it was just a little bit bigger. It isn't the creature's fault; it just wasn't wired to feel. Just like Zim. Just like Irkens. They're too advanced for their own good.

"You can kill him later when it's not my fault." She told Zim before she could dwell too much.

* * *

The two walked around the lab for a while before Gaz had to go home. Zim was actually impressed with her knowledge; up until that point, he had assumed that she wasn't as clever as her brother, but he was proven wrong when she was able to break down the purpose of almost all of his experiments. When she reached the hapiness zombie, she was even able to pinpoint the exact reason for the addiction and suggested that Zim stopped giving it dopamine to watch the withdrawals. She would never be as smart as the almighty Zim, but for the most part it caught him off-guard.

He also enjoyed the way she listened. Gaz wasn't a talker for the most part, and would rather join a conversation than start it. This may be a hinderance for anyone else, but for Zim, it was an upgrade from talking to himself.

He always backtracked to why she didn't kill the Dib when she had the chance. No matter how many times he asked her, she would always answer with the same thing: "He's my brother." It confused and upset him. He had no concept to why anyone would deny the right to exterminate Dib.

"Hey, Zim!"

Zim turned around as he heard the shrill voice of his enemy. School had just ended and Zim was heading home.

"When Gaz didn't come back with me, I went to rescue her when she came out of _your_ house. She wouldn't answer me when I asked her about it, so... WHAT WERE YOU DOING? Sucking her brains out? Harvesting her ligaments? Hmm?"

"I did no such thing."

"Oh, okay--WAIT!"

Zim never walked off so it was a wonder to why Dib had to shout.

"What did you do then?" Dib questioned further.

"Well, if you must know, she helped me work on the final adjustments to my school work. Not that I needed help, of course, but I decided to accept it as a gesture of submission."

Dib blinked, unable to believe what he just heard.

"Oh she is _so _going to get it." Dib exclaimed, running back into the direction of his house.

The next day she met him at lunch.

"So you told him I was with you," Gaz asked, testing the waters before she went on.

"Yes. However, I came up with a lie to distract him from our real interactions. You can thank me now."

Gaz squinted in anger as if to argue, but she kept her head down. She was clenching her fork so tight that her knuckles were turning white.

"Why didn't you just tell him you were performing a lobotomy on me or something? He's going to think we're... _friends." _

"Are we not?"

This time she looked up. It had not occured to her that Zim considered her more than human scum. He caught her bewildered expression.

"You called me a grungy pig-brain in the hallway."

"Friends are honest with each other."

Gaz dwelled on this for a little bit, and released some of the pressure off of her utensil.

"I told Dib I was spying on you, and he thinks that's why we've been hanging out so much."

"Treacherous filth!"

"Shut up. I lied. I don't want him to know we're real friends."

Zim didn't grasp the depth of having a "real friend," but her words popped into his head at random intervals more often than not. He didn't know whether to puke or smile goofily and write her name in the margins of his textbook; it was sickening either way.

* * *

It's been two months since they've been "friends."

It's been snowing hard outside. Zim remembered the first time he'd seen snow, walking out of his base a couple years back only to shriek and dash back inside. Zim hated the snow. It was cold and it made everything wet. It was like water but even more insufferable.

Nothing had changed much other than Dib getting more hostile. Maybe it was the excitement of these horrendous Earthling "holidays" going around. Zim barely understood their concept. And apparently, other parts of Earth felt the need to celebrate every holiday differently. Zim would never admit that humans were complex, only unnecessarily confusing.

Before he had the chance to get to class, Zim was met with the purple human in the hallway. She had a suspiciously colorful package in her arms that she held tight to her chest.

"Merry Christmas," Gaz said with less malice than usual, shoving the box in his face, "or whatever."

Zim gave her a skeptical look before ripping the box open, as if the key to immortality resided in its cheap cardboard coating. Looking inside, he saw a word he had never encountered before: encyclopedia.

It was in big bold letters along with the word "human."

"I figured it would help you blend in. Give it a read, or don't."

Zim noticed that Gaz was shuffling her feat around in a repeated motion. She was nervous, but he couldn't put the dots together.

"Very well. I shall take the advice of this hardcover and dissect its knowledge for the furthering of my intelligence. Your support to the Irken empire will be remembered."

Gaz scoffed, "Sure. You're welcome."

She couldn't bring herself to sit by him at lunch that day, but she did see him flipping through the pages every once in a while.

* * *

Zim had been reading tirelessly ever since he recieved the book a few days back. Apparently, there was much more to humans than he initially thought. They were almost as layered as Irkens, almost.

One thing that stood out about humans was their strange ability to love. Love, as Zim had read, was a complicated emotion requiring extensive study.

Zim, like all Irkens, had no concept of love. They simply didn't need it. When their entire race became dedicated to conquest and power, the almighty of the past decided that love had no value among the standards of war. It was wiped from their brain; literally. The ability to love was repressed in the paks of those young enough to not remember compassion. Zim had studied this in his spare time when he wanted to further examine the mystery that was love.

Zim disregarded love as a waste. Such unnecessary feelings would deter one from the task at hand. He knew it would never, _ever _consume him the way it did humans.

He heard the security alarm go off and instantly assumed it was Gaz. He knew that Gaz was certainly strong enough to turn away from matters as tiny as love. He respected her for it.

Zim, curious about her unplanned visit, went to meet her on the top floor.

"Today isn't trash day." Zim asked suspiciously, eyeing her with innocent bewilderment. She shrugged.

"I suppose... your existence here is welcome for the time being. You understand the procedures."

"Gasoline!" A familiar voice shouted, wrapping its lanky arms around her legs. "He keeps seeing you in the manual. Know what that means? Guess! Guess!" Gir shrieked.

"GIR! get back to your charging station. That is an order!"

Gir laughed hysterically and leaped out of the way when Zim tried to grab him. The robot blew a raspberry and ran out the door before Zim could do anything about it.

"He's not wearing his fursuit." Gaz muttered with a small grin, causing Zim to zip outside with an astounding speed.

"Gir! Gir! You stupid machine, you'll jeopardize everything!" Zim yelled into the darkness.

He heard the quick footsteps of his servant as Gir ran back into the base. He had hidden around the side of the house and waited for Zim to get far enough in order to evade him. Gir laughed, slammed the door, and locked it.

Zim screamed in fury and beat his fists on the door.

When the door didn't open again, he turned to see Gaz by his size. Realizing that she had followed him out, he began screaming alien curse words that Gaz couldn't recognize. It almost made her smile.

"Oh the _nerve!_ The gall to defy your master!" Zim hollered as Gaz watched his pitiful display.

She sat down on her feet beside him, as he had gotten on his knees in anguish.

"You're out of your costume. Might as well work it."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I dunno. Roam around the city after dark without your contacts? Be dangerous?"

Zim considered this for a moment. Be dangerous? Sounded dangerous.

"Wouldn't it be fun to be Irken again?"

What rubbish. He could be as Irken as he wanted in his lab. Only in his lab. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he was outside without his disguise.

He got up hesitantly.

"If you haven't noticed, the city doesn't die by nightfall. What is it you have in mind?"

Gaz pondered for a moment.

"The outskirts."

"Heh?"

"Outside the city, around the woods. No one goes there."

Zim cogitated on this. Gir certainly wasn't going to let him inside until the novelty of his little prank wore off. He would have a better chance staying hidden with Gaz in these "woods" than anywhere else.

"I expect I'll go with you. But if I get seen, well... I'll say something very unpleasant." Zim said reluctantly. Gaz rolled her eyes and began to walk off.

They passed a few streets without much commotion until they reached a large gap in between buildings. It was the city park. It was one of the only parts in the province that was required to be kept green.

Zim had to admit that it felt good to stretch his antennae in the cold of night; without having to hide them under a wig. It felt as if he could sense everything in the world at that moment. Every rustle of grass or beat of wings felt amplified to a million.

To his relief, only a few cars passed them, and none stopped to investigate.

"This is it." Gaz said after a time of silence. The park was deserted, it being so late, but many bright lights shone down upon the grounds. It made him uneasy.

"Well, not really it, I guess. C'mon." Gaz said as she turned towards a plot of organic growth. It was probably the biggest mass of trees in the city, and it technically led out.

Zim, baffled by her lack of lantern assistance but glad to be out of the open, followed her.

"Your eyes aren't developed enough to see in the dark, cretin."

"Moron." Gaz replied, not responding to his initial statement.

"Halfwit!"

"Airhead."

They shouted insults at each other as they pushed through the forest. None were really wholehearted.

Zim could notice a subtle path built by many back-and-forth expeditions. Gaz was familiar with this place, then. Zim was just about to mention this when they reached a ledge.

It was a little slope that went above a few feet. It faced the sky, which was clearly visible behind the skinny trees. In the gap, he could see mostly plains and a few roads that seemed to lead away and to the blasted metropolis. He had never seen Earth so flat, so calm.

Gaz made her way to the peak of the ledge and sat down with her back turned to Zim. Zim, tired from all the branch wrestling, sat at her left. He was puzzled by the whole thing but strangely intrigued.

They sat there for a while in silence, watching cars and other loud vehicles leave the city.

Zim looked up momentarily. Above him were stars so far away that they seemed like little specs in the sky. Zim had seen so many stars in his life that he was desensitized by their beauty. Gaz was the same. It took a lot to impress her.

"Can I ask you something?" Gaz questioned.

"You just did."

"Shut up. So, how old are you?"

Zim didn't hesitate to reply.

"Oh, I've lost count. A hundred? A million? My experience knows no bounds."

"So... are Irkens immortal or something?"

"Despite our greatness, no. Eons of developing anti-aging supplements have kept our race strong and thriving. You wouldn't understand."

"If you stopped taking them, would you grow up a little bit?"

Zim, about to reply, suddenly realized what she meant. It was a "joke," referencing his shortness. Was it suddenly his fault she was taller than him? What a fool she was. No one criticizes Zim.

However, it did spark an interesting question. Was the introduction of youth enhancement the very thing that stunted Irken growth? Did he simply... freeze in time?

"Nevermind," Gaz said, noticing his pensive behavior, "just wondering."

They never needed to talk after that. To Zim, silence was a waste of time. Anything pertaining to doing nothing just for the sake of doing nothing frustrated him. There was work to be done, humans to cut up, and evil plans to monologue. But looking over at Gaz, her soft yet focused features, he had the revelation that he didn't care what had to be done. His priority right now was her, even if he didn't fully understand it.

Gaz, feeling his gaze, turned her head towards him.

"You're shivering." She stated plainly.

Zim had his arms around himself at this point to preserve warmth. To his amazement, Gaz seemed to barely consider the cold.

When she didn't get a response Gaz began to unbutton her jacket.

Zim let out a startled noise as he felt the dark fabric fall over his shoulders. She had on a long-sleeve shirt underneath and apparently that was enough for her. When she had taken her hands away he pulled it closer. It smelled like her. An owl hooted overhead.

* * *

Gaz brought her hands towards him once more. He flinched. She didn't seem to notice.

"Can I touch your antennae?"

Zim was revolted. A human? Meddle with the most important part of an Irken's body? There's no telling what damage she could do. 100% no.

"Perhaps... no, yes. Fine." Nevermind then.

Surely but gently, she put a hand around one of the hooks that went past his collarbone. Not hesitating anymore, she ran two fingers down both of them in a way someone would comb hair.

It was overpowering. He could practically feel every cell in her body as she stroked. He has never had anyone touch him in a friendly way, much less this. Part of him wanted to call it off but he wouldn't mind if it lasted forever.

"So what are they for?" She asked, twirling them around idly.

"Very powerful... very powerful sensory organs," Zim managed to say as she continued on. There had to be some scientific explanation for what was happening to him. He wanted to fall in to her, he wanted to hug her and kiss her like those stupid human couples. He would have done anything for her at that point.

She had begun tracing the lines of her hands with the sharper parts and it was _intoxicating. _He would melt, he would melt right then and there and it would be her fault. He wouldn't be suprised if he died.

"Enough!" Zim shrieked, bolting up and gripping the jacket so it never left his side.

"Human Gaz, I wish to go home."

Gaz, taken aback by his outburst, took a moment to reply.

"Whatever." She said nonchalantly, getting up herself.

This time the silence seemed grating. He wanted to hear her voice. He wanted to feel her. He wanted to know she was there.

* * *

Gir had fallen asleep. All the house's defenses were down, and Zim cringed knowing that anyone could have broken in.

When he let himself in, he turned back to Gaz, who still had no jacket.

"I think you'll be needing this-"

"Oh, no, you can keep it."

Zim froze, unable to believe that she would give him a relic of her personal belonging. He gave a threatening but happy smile, and hid it with maniacal laughter. She watched with an unamused expression as he cackled for what seemed to be the limit. Before she could call him an idiot he swung the door shut.

**he's such a loser. anyway, I kind of wanted Gaz to give her scoop on the situation but I think that kinda weakened the story aha. tell me what i did wrong please. **


	3. Interlocked

**hhh i'm gonna try and make sure this one doesn't seem as rushed as the last one :")** **also the antennae are not sexual organs in my story dhshanskak**

It was driving him insane.

Zim hasn't been to school in three days. He has spent hours in his base researching the lore of his emotions and the significance of it to his race.

He had already known that love was outlawed on Irk. But... he wasn't on Irk. Did he really wish to explore it? Zim had debated with himself extensively. He could use her to get a better view of human interaction, considering he couldn't get the results from Tak, but he didn't want to use her like that. To why, he had no answer.

Zim was able to track down scraps of ancient Irken literature. He had every Irken "book" out on the floor, no matter how antiquated, while trying to understand his predicament.

_Ceremonial Marriage Ritual_

Zim put a light to the faded letters and cursed quietly under his breath. No matter how superior ancient Irkens were to modern humans, he still couldn't understand how any being could exist without technology.

_"The most sensitive part of an Irken is the antenna... blah blah blah..."_

Reading infuriated him. It was so slow, so tedious. He was having trouble translating pre-evolution Irken language, even though he had studied it in the early learning academy.

He shifted uncomfortably multiple times between paragraphs. He was embarrassed over the intimacy of the book's contents. He bolted upright when Gir turned the corner, humming a tune.

Apparently, before the introduction of cloning and genetic modification, Irken children were produced by _each other. _It shared a similarity to humans, and he clenched his fists in disgust knowing that they were comparable.

Only Irkens bound by "marriage" were permitted to have children. Like humans, Zim noted, but the arrangements were most likely strange according to human standards.

During a wedding ceremony, two Irkens would tap the other with their antennae to display mutual loyalty. It was similar to a couple sharing a kiss. However, it meant a lot more to the aliens, considering that they were letting the most fragile part of themselves be in contact with another being.

Zim rolled over on his back and looked up at the ceiling. That's why his reaction was so extreme, then. He let out a sigh of relief knowing that his feelings were justified. He was just "touch starved" and Gaz's contact temporarily shut his mind and body down. It must have woken up his primitive need to be tap 'tennae.

Satisfied with the results, Zim began to put away the old parchments in their respective places. He had a new confidence thinking about Gaz; the next time they met, he would inform her that he was under severe infatuation and that they would never speak again.

Why did he even care for her in the first place? While Zim was viewing the contents of his lab, he realized that he had everything he would ever need. He would rule his empire alone, and it didn't tug at his heart one bit. It was less complicated anyway.

Suddenly the lights around him flashed crimson and Zim felt a jolt from his organs. Gaz was here, and all the uneasy feelings that conflicted over the past few months had forced their way back into his mind. Turning the alarm off, Zim made his way to the top floor.

Zim felt his body heat up as he entered the living room. There was Gaz, tapping away at her little gaming device. She grunted in a form of greeting, actually acknowledging him.

They haven't spoken since their night in the woods, and she was wearing a different jacket. Zim had slept a few times in her other one and he would probably die if she found out.

"Human Gaz, I-" he tried to articulate what he wanted to say but it wouldn't come out. It couldn't. His feelings were still there and as plain as day.

She was waiting for his speech with full eye contact. It made him shudder.

"Nevermind." He finished before Gaz looked back down at her game. Not having anything else to do, Zim sat on the couch beside her. They were both against the armrests, avoiding each other as an obligation.

The gears in Zim's mind turned against his will and he felt himself growing more and more awkward being beside her. He decided he needed to break the silence by mentioning something that's been on his mind.

"So, Gaz," Zim began as Gaz took her eyes off the screen, "on the day of your first intrusion, you entered my house because you were cold."

Gaz nodded, intrigued to where Zim was going with this.

"However, you never acknowledged the extreme temperatures of the night we... conversed. Explain yourself." Zim demanded, much more timid than his usual direct approach.

Gaz contemplated over her response. She didn't expect to be interrogated during her weekly visit.

"I lied, I just wanted to hang."

"Heh?" Zim's face contorted in confusion.

"I wasn't cold, I just wanted to come in. I didn't want you to think that, well..." Gaz never finished her statement, she simply looked back down at her game in quiet discomfort.

Zim pondered over this for a while. The beeps and taps of her device were the only thing that broke the silence.

"If I was a human and my human-stink sibling was outside your house--because you were an alien--digging through your filth, I would lie to stay in your house too. Just to _hang._" Zim replied awkwardly, tapping his claws together in a repeated motion.

It was pathetic, but Gaz almost blushed at his comment. Almost. She just smiled and continued on.

Zim pulled his legs towards himself and wrapped his arms around them. This was harder than he had anticipated.

"Remember Tak?" Gaz questioned casually, still not meeting his gaze.

"Unfortunately, yes. What does that pertain to?"

"Just wanted to let you know, human relationships aren't built on pain. She was just a jerk."

"Why are you mentioning this?" Zim sat up and his eyes were vivid with anticipation. It suprised her, but she kept her composure.

"For future reference." Gaz stated plainly. Each word seemed to linger on her mouth like a stain. She hated being _hinty. _But right now, she could hardly imagine being as blunt as usual.

_Future reference! _Zim toyed with these words in his mind for a moment. Future, but with Gaz? It seemed less lonely. Right then, it seemed exciting. He wanted to prove to her that he was there. He wanted to show her that he would be loyal. He wanted her to know that _he_ would always exist _for future reference. _

A few years ago, he would have vomited at his own thoughts. Pledged to a human? Yikes. But he didn't care what was legal on Irk, he didn't mind that he was going against everything Irkens were trying to crush. He loved her, he really did.

Remembering the passage about wedding rituals, Zim spoke up.

"Do you want to try something?" Zim asked hesitantly. He didn't think even he could pry the antennae off of his back at this point.

Gaz had closed her device. She looked at him with one eyebrow up, careful but interested.

"Yes." The words stayed on her tongue for a moment as if she was rethinking her permission.

Zim scooted closer to her until his waist brushed her's. He was facing her, but his legs still dangled off the couch.

He slowly got rid of the distance between their foreheads. Her button nose was pressed against his face and he could tell that her features had turned a rosy pink. If he didn't hurry up, he thought that they both might just catch on fire.

He let his antennae fall into her hair. It felt so natural, yet so strange. She couldn't feel anything with those dead strips of DNA on her head but he could sense _everything. _The warmth, the steady movement of her blood, it gave him a sense of ease that he had never experienced before. For once, he could understand the traditions of old Irk. It was as if they were sharing their very essence.

Some of the literature described antennae intertwining, and with a twinge of disappointment he realized that she couldn't articulate her hair at all. But this was just as good. It had to be.

Without warning she presssd her lips against his despite her nerves. He had shown off his traditions, and it was time she displayed her own. Zim staggered for a moment before returning the gesture. He let go of all the nitpicks he had about humans as she wrapped her arms around his middle and finally seperated from his mouth.

He didn't know if they were married or what, but he wasn't complaining.

She fell into him. He felt the back of his head hit the couch cushion as she rested her face against his chest.

While Gaz listened to his peculiar heartbeat, Zim put his arms around her and pulled closer, until he could feel her breath on his neck. Whenever he fidgeted, or moved the position of his arms, she flinched, and it made him feel exuberant to see the effects of his actions plainly on her scarlet face.

If he was going to rule Earth, then maybe she could be at his side. Him and his human queen. The thought was enticing. He had some youth supplements to spare...

Before Zim could let his thoughts spiral he had fallen asleep, and Gaz seemed to as well. Luckily, Gir had the respect to throw a screaming fit in the other room.

* * *

Dib had done it. He had beaten the security robot. He had a wrench in one hand and the robot's metallic head in the other. It looked disturbingly like Foodio.

This was the part where Dib kicked Zim's door open and exclaimed triumphantly that he had seized the day, and that his robot was no match for the vitality and will of a persistent human.

However, this was apparently the part where Dib kicked the door open and gaped in horror at his sister sleeping soundly on top of his nemesis, who was idly twirling her hair around in his repulsive talons. They stared at each other wide-eyed in mortified silence.

"What? B-but, you... she-"

"GET OUT!" Zim shrieked at Dib, waking up the angry purple beast that was asleep atop his stomach. She sleepily gazed at Dib before muttering something and leaving the couch. She grabbed her device and headed for the door.

Dib, recovering from shock, pointed a finger at Zim in his usual dramatic manner.

"Even _look _at my sister and I will gut you, you lizard!"

"Oh yeah?"

Before Zim could get out an insult Dib had thrown himself at him. The two rolled around on the floor throwing punches while Gaz watched the sad quarrel. She wanted to see who killed who first, and it was easy to assume who she was rooting for.

**yay it's over-**

**I kind of want to rewrite this when i'm older and have more experience. give me a couple years-**

**tell me what you think aha**

**also i own no part of invader zim and everything about irken biology is either a plot device or headcanon!!!**


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